Redskins Nation is a half-hour show devoted to giving fans unfiltered access to the day's events at Redskins Park. Hosted by Larry Michael, the show features Redskins players, coaches and sit-down interviews with team officials. (Show re-airs at 11:30 p.m/7:30 a.m. daily)

Redskins Nation is a half-hour show devoted to giving fans unfiltered access to the day's events at Redskins Park. Hosted by Larry Michael, the show features Redskins players, coaches and sit-down interviews with team officials. (Show re-airs at 11:30 p.m/7:30 a.m. daily)

Redskins Nation is a half-hour show devoted to giving fans unfiltered access to the day's events at Redskins Park. Hosted by Larry Michael, the show features Redskins players, coaches and sit-down interviews with team officials. (Show re-airs at 11:30 p.m/7:30 a.m. daily)

Redskins Nation is a half-hour show devoted to giving fans unfiltered access to the day's events at Redskins Park. Hosted by Larry Michael, the show features Redskins players, coaches and sit-down interviews with team officials. (Show re-airs at 11:30 p.m/7:30 a.m. daily)

Redskins Nation is a half-hour show devoted to giving fans unfiltered access to the day's events at Redskins Park. Hosted by Larry Michael, the show features Redskins players, coaches and sit-down interviews with team officials. (Show re-airs at 11:30 p.m/7:30 a.m. daily)

Redskins Nation is a half-hour show devoted to giving fans unfiltered access to the day's events at Redskins Park. Hosted by Larry Michael, the show features Redskins players, coaches and sit-down interviews with team officials. (Show re-airs at 11:30 p.m/7:30 a.m. daily)

Redskins Nation is a half-hour show devoted to giving fans unfiltered access to the day's events at Redskins Park. Hosted by Larry Michael, the show features Redskins players, coaches and sit-down interviews with team officials. (Show re-airs at 11:30 p.m/7:30 a.m. daily)

Redskins Nation is a half-hour show devoted to giving fans unfiltered access to the day's events at Redskins Park. Hosted by Larry Michael, the show features Redskins players, coaches and sit-down interviews with team officials. (Show re-airs at 11:30 p.m/7:30 a.m. daily)

Redskins Nation is a half-hour show devoted to giving fans unfiltered access to the day's events at Redskins Park. Hosted by Larry Michael, the show features Redskins players, coaches and sit-down interviews with team officials. (Show re-airs at 11:30 p.m/7:30 a.m. daily)

Flickr Photos

How does a team make the jump in the relatively fickle world of NFL weekly power rankings? Win. Win close games, win big games, win games you’re supposed to win, and win upsets. As Raiders owner Al Davis famously said, “Just win, baby.”

Redskins head coach Mike Shanahan is a “football head”–a man who dreams of grass stains and gatorade, and draws blocking schemes in his mashed potatoes. And for at least half the year, football is his obsession.

But when it comes time for the bye week each year, Shanahan turns his attention to his family at home.

“You have to make time, especially when you have kids and family,” he said. “You better make time. Those are an important part of your life. I think as you get a little bit older, like I am now, and the kids are grown, it’s not as important, but now there are grandkids. It’s budgeting time and making sure you get a little bit of time for everything and have some priorities – you better make that a priority.”

He mentioned that the team was about 72 days into the season, with the way the lockout compressed time, with about 84 days left to go. Time is a fairly precious commodity in the NFL, and finding personal time is even harder.

“You don’t get much, but you get a lot in the offseason and you try to make time,” he said. When you do have time, you want to make sure that it’s quality time – Thursday evenings sometimes, and Friday evenings.”

Shanahan actually has the benefit of working with a fellow Shanahan, and loves having his son Kyle with him on the staff.

“It’s a big bonus to have a couple of grandkids here and my daughter is in New York,” he said with a smile. “She’s only a couple of hours away so that’s worked out very well.”

Good planning, coach.

Check out the rest of his final press conference before the bye, below: Read more »

It’s not fair to judge an NFL draft class before it matures, but early indications point to a check mark on first rounder Ryan Kerrigan.

Maaaybe a check-plus.

Kerrigan has played lights-out football so far, twice being nominated for the NFL Rookie of the Week award, and already taking home honors for NFL Defensive Rookie of the Month for September. On the season, he has 19 tackles, 2.5 sacks, two forced fumbles, an interception, and a touchdown.

As a frame of reference:

That’s more tackles than DeMarcus Ware.

Thats more sacks than Ndamukong Suh.

That’s more forced fumbles than Jared Allen.

That’s more interceptions than Troy Polamalu.

And that’s more touchdowns than Tashard Choice and Larry Johnson combined.

In honor of October as Breast Cancer Awareness Month, Redskins All-Pro tight end Chris Cooley has announced his third annual “Cooleys For The Cure” rally. The event will take place this Monday Oct. 10, 7-10 p.m. at Clyde’s in Ashburn. Tickets are $65 on Cooley’s website, and buy you an excellent spread of food and drinks. Donations are also possible on the site.

Breast cancer affects us all in way or another, and it was Chris’s mother, Nancy, whose diagnosis brought the issue to the forefront for Chris. This rally goes to benefit two organizations that assist women in Northern Virginia: the IIIB’s, and the The Virginia Hospital Center – Reinsch Pierce Family Center for Breast Health.

This is part of Nancy Cooley’s story, in her own words:

On a Friday while driving to work, I received a call from my doctor telling me that I had breast cancer. It was one week before Chris and Christy’s wedding. I had many relatives coming to town that weekend and the next week. Instead of being able to focus on seeing everyone and celebrating Chris and Christy’s wedding, the only thoughts in my head were “I have cancer”.

I went through four months of chemotherapy, surgeries – six now, and 28 radiation treatments over the past three years. Reconstruction has been ongoing to try to rebuild my broken body. I know that these treatments would not be available without the help of the money raised for research of this horrible disease.

During the past three years, I have met many women who are battling cancer – Kathy, Noel, Regina, Karin, Della, and Kim. These are six women who reached out to me after learning that they had breast cancer. They are all mothers, daughters, sisters, and wives. I’m so grateful that they too have successfully battled cancer so far. There are so many more people, not just women that are battling cancer. We need an end to this madness!!